Adding machine



H.D.BETZ ADDING MACHINE Filed Julyl3. 1923 Harr D BeTz ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 4, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT UFFECE.

HARRY DONALD IBETZ, 0F KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

ADDING MACHINE.

Application filed July 13, 1923. Serial No. 651,311.

This invention relates to computing machines and particularly to a device for adding feet, inches and fractions thereof.

Engineers, machine designers, architects and draftsmen as well as others frequently find it necessary to add dimensions includ ing fractions of an inch in order to determine an aggregate measurement and often the fractional parts vary with respect to their denominators. Therefore, in adding the fractions it is necessary to reduce all of them to one common denominator, add the numerators and divide by the denominator selected. This method requires a mental process which not infrequently results in error; besides requiring considerable time in obtaining the correct total.

My invention contemplates a mechanical device which I term an adder which will mechanically add fractions of different denominations as well as feet and inches and indicate by visible means the resultant sum.

The device as here shown is so constructed that it will add feet, inches and fractions of an inch of different values and is so designed that fractions totaling one inch will be transposed to inches and likewise inches totaling one foot will be transferred to the foot accumulator, thus adding the different values in a quick and accurate manner. In order to more clearly comprehend the invention, reference should be had to the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. I is a plan view of one form of an adder, constructed in accordance with my invention, part of the top plate being broken away to show the mechanism, and

Fig. II is a cross sectional view as cut on line A--A of Fig. I.

In carrying out my invention I may employ a bottom plate 1 and a cover plate 2, the cover plate being fastened to the bottom plate by any suitable means. Near one end of the cover plate 2 is a circular opening 3, about the edge of which is a scale or fraction indicia 4;, symmetrically divided about the periphery of the opening 3 in degrees corresponding to fractions of an inch.

Mounted on the bottom plate and rotatable abount a stud 5 is a wheel 6, having near its periphery a plurality of openings 7. The wheel is slightly greater in diameter than the opening 3, so that it underlaps the edge of the opening. Projecting from the edge of the opening 3 on the cover plate 2 is a stop lug 8.

The scale about the edge of theiopening 3 is divided into divisions representing siXty-, fourths, thirty-seconds, sixteenths, 'eighths, etc, and it can be calibrated for any divisor of sixty-four. There will be sixty-four open ings 7 in the disk or wheel 6 so that apencil or stylus can be introduced into'the opening corresponding with the fractionit'is desired to accumulate and the wheel turned clockwise until the pencil or stylus, as the case may be, hits the stop lug 8.

When the disk or wheel 6 is in the act of completing a revolution due tothe fact that fractions aggregating one inch are being accumulated into the machine, a cam or projection 9 on the periphery of the wheel will strike against a pin 10 on a lever 11, pivoted about the stud 12 of the plate 1, so as to actuate the lever. The lever carries a throw latch 13, which is pivoted to its upper end at let and the latch has a toe 15 adapted to engage in the teeth 16 of an accumulator wheel 17, mounted on the stud 18, and also a heel 2d projecting from the throw latch which normally rests against the stud 25 of the bottom plate for the purpose of holding the toe 15 out of the path of the teeth projecting from the accumulator wheel 17. and thus permitting the wheel 17 to be moved in either direction without interference with the toe 15. When the lever 11 is moved by action of the cam 9 forcing it over, together with the throw latch, the spring 20 which fulcrums about the stud 21 of the bottom plate and rests at one end againstthe stud 12 and at its longer end acts against the pin 22 of the throw latch, the toe 15 of the throw latch is held out of engagement with the wheel 17 and against the stop pin 28; the spring 21 also comes into play for the purpose of forcing the too 15 into engagement with a tooth of the wheel 17 when the heel 24 is forced off the stud 25 following movement of the lever as above described and which will in turn rotate the wheel one twelfth of a revolution, thus causing it to so that the spring 20 will restore the latch to the position shown in full lines in Fig. I, and thus the wheel 6 will be back to Zero position again. Then additional fractions can be added until another inch has accumulated in the mechanism, whereupon the wheel 6 Will again actuate the second accumulator Wheel operating mechanism consisting of the lever 11 and its appurtenances to register another inch or it is obvious that inches may be added to the wheel 17 by inserting a pen; oil or stylus in one of the apertures and rotating it to the stop (not shown). These Operations may be continued until the wheel 17 will register eleven inches (as shown) which figurelrepresents the answer, is a part of the bottom plate 1 and is read through the aperture 18; whereupon the addition of another .inch will cause the Wheel 17, which is integral with the disk 29 and has a protruding cam 28, to rotate, resulting in the cam 28 engaging a tooth of the transfer gear '26 :which is mounted on the stud 27 and which gear is constantly in mesh with one or more recesses of the wheel 30, which in turn is mounted on the stud 31.

The accumulator wheel 30 indicates feet and on theperiphery of the accumulator wheelBO .is a protruding tooth 82 which, at each complete revolution, actuates a transfer gear 84 on a stud 35. The transfer gear at is constantly in mesh with recesses 36 in an accumulator wheel 37011 a stud 38. The accumulator wheel 30, as in all other wheels of this machine, must be moved through a complete revolution in order that the protruding tooth 32 will mesh with the transfer gear 34 and cause the accumulator wheel 87 to be actuated one-tenth of a revolution. Theaccumulator wheel87 has a protruding tooth (not shown) similar to the protruding tooth 30, which engages recesses in an accu- .mulator Wheel 40 mounted on a stud 41 in the case. The wheels 30, 3? and 40 are of duplicate construction and the transfer gears on studs 31, 35 and 39 are of duplicate construction.

With the construction shown it is possible to addany number of feet, inches and fractions of an inch to any other number of feet, inches and fractions of an inch up to a total of nine hundred ninety-nine feet, eleven and sixty-three sixty-fourths inches. By adding additional wheels the computation can be carried further.

The cover plate 2 is provided with lugs at the center-line of each accumulator as per 8 and 42, these stops being at the zero position of the dial. The cover plate in this case also acts as a retainer to hold the movable parts in position with respect to the machine as a whole.

The totals of the additions are observed through the larger apertures in the accumustop trated reads: 913 feet, 11 63/64 inches, it being obvious that no figures in this machine move, the figures to add being'on'the cover plate 2 and the sum total figures being a partof the bottom plate 1.

' By referenceto the fractional wheel 6 it will be noted that two apertures 4:6 and 47 appear, but that figures are only visible through t6. Due to the lar e space required to show fractions distinctly it is deemed advisable to alternate the reading to one sixtyfourth of a revolution between the apertures lli and l'l. v p

YV hen it is desired to clear the machine it is only necessary to place a pencil or stylus in any of the apertures provided in the accumulator wheels and rotate them anti-clock wise to zero.

One of the most important features of this machine. isthe fact that any one accumulator wheel may be rotated anti-clockwise independent of its adjacent wheel; this is accon' -plished by providing clearance between the transfer gear and the accumulator wheel on its right at all times except when such adjacent accumulator wheel is in mo tion. 1

Fig. II is a section through the bottom plate 1 as cutv on line A-A of Fig. I which shows one method of holding the accumulator Wheels in'their proper positions and which will act as a ratchet for such wheels, wherein a small ball L8, preferably of steel, which is inserted in a hole in the bottom plate 1 and forced upward by a spring 49,

holds the accumulator wheels from rotating in and of themselves by action of the ball tending to protrude through the various apertures in the particular accumulator wheel with which it is brought to register. In that the same method is provided for tending to hold all the other accumulator wheels from revolving, it is deemed unnecessary to illustrate the'detent for each wheel.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the computations can be made exp-editiously and conveniently and that feet, inches or fractions of an inch can be registered and added without any mental calculation.

I have shown the scale at as calibrated for sixty-fourths or fractionsv having denominators of sixty-four, but obviously, the wheel can be arranged for other fractions. F orexample, by making the cam or projection 9 longer or shorter the case may be and placing holes in the wheel or disk for other While I have shown my present invention in but one form I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise construction as shown and described nor do I w sh to be limited only to fractions as pertaining to the mob or to the exact divisions as shown, for its is obvious that many variations can be made without materially changing the principles involved herein.

WVhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is:

1. In a hand operated adding machine comprising a case and a train of blank accumulator disks in the case, mean for actuating the train in response to rotative movements of the computing disk, said means comprising a lever, a latch dog pivoted on one end of the lever for engagement with the teeth of the second disk in the train but not normally contacting therewith, a tooth on the computing disk for imparting movement to the lever, means for urging the latch into functional position when the tooth of the computing disk forces the lever in one direction, and means for moving the latch out of functional position when the lever moves in an opposite direction.

2. In a hand operated adding machine comprising a housing, rotatable disks in the housing, and a pivot for each disk, the disks having engageable portions, a cam for the first disk, a lever for the cam, a 'dog for the lever, and means for retaining the dog from engagement with a second disk except upon movement of the rotatable disk through its last division in order that the second disk may rotate in either direction Without interference with the rotatable disk.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HARRY DONALD BETZ. 

